Oma carr



(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

O. CARR. APPARATUS FOR CHARGING SUGAR OANE CARRIERS.

No; 517,730. Patented A r. 3, 1894.

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

0. CARR.

APPARATUS FOR CHARGING SUGAR CANE CARRIERS. N0. 517,730. r Patented Apr. 3, 1894.

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(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 4;

0. CARR. APPARATUS FOR GHARGING'SUGAR CANE CARRIERS.

No. 517,730. PatentedAp r. 3, 1894.

UNI-TED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OMA OARR,-OF 'WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

APPARATUS FOR CHARGlNG-jS UGAR-CANE CARRIERS.

SPECIFICATIdN forming part of Letters Patent No. 517,730, dated April 3, 1894. Application filed September 26, 1893. Serial No. 486,554. (No model.)

To ml} whom it may concern:

Be lllkIlOWIl that I, OMA CARR, a citizen 0 the United States, residing at Washington, in theDlstrictof Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Charging Sugar-Cane Carriers, of which the following is a specification, reference benghad therein to theaccompanyingdrawings, m which-- Figure 1 is a side elevation of myimproved apparatus; Fig. 2 a plan thereof, the supports of the overhead tracks and shafts bemg removed to better show the parts; Fig. 3 a perspective view of the improved bundle carrler; Figs. 4c and .5 respectively, side and end elevations thereof; Figs. 6 and 7 detail vlews of the detachable connection between the rods of the bundle-carrier; Fig.8 a longitudlnal section of one of the friction-drums,

.and Figs. 9 and 10, respectively, end and side elevations of one of the traveling blocks which convey the bundle-carriers. This invention has reference to apparatus for the handling of sugar-cane and properly depositing and distributing it upon the main cane-carrier leading to the first mill. It is desirable to properly charge the cane-carrier in order, first, that the stress upon the carrier be uniform; secondly, that the mill feed be uniform; thirdly, that the shock and irregular mill and engine strains be decreased;

fourthly, that the power and fuel'be economized; fifthly, that the maximum extraction and yield be attained; sixthly, that the supply of juice be uniform; and, seventhly, that the regularity of the minimum steam consumption be maintained. All theseresults may be obtained by properly charging the carrler, and it is therefore the object of this lnvention to accomplish said results, the mechanism employed being'comparatively simple, as fully described hereinafter.

It is also the design of the invention to greatly lessen the labor usually required in sugar mills, and thereby materially cheapen the product, as is hereinafter setforth.

The invention, as will be observed, is not confined to the specific construction and arrangement of apparatus herein shown and described, as the same may be greatlyvaried without departing from the spirit of the in: vention in the least.

In the drawings, A designates the first mill, B the main cane-carrier leading to the mill, 0 parallel tracks laid'on each side of the carrier, and D one of the cars traveling on said tracks and suitably-constructed to'carry the bundles of cane.

All the foregoing parts are constructed in the ordinary or any improved manner.

Thebundle-carrier, as shown on Sheet 3, is so constructed, of a series of chains and rods, as to form a series of (preferably four) compartments or tiers, each of which is adapted to hold a definite quantityof cane-in practice a quarter of a ton. The outside or encircling chains aare secured permanently at their upper and lower ends to horizontal bars 17, three of these chains being employed to-embrace each side of the bundle, and the upper pair aswell as the lower pair of bars are detachably connected together by suitable fastening-devices 0. Each of these fastening devices is preferably constructed as shown in Figs. 6 and 7, that is to say, one of the bars is provided with a horizontal projecting headed lug b, which is adapted to enter a similarly shaped horizontal groove in a projection I)" carried by the adjacent rod; by this construction, thebars of each pair, are readily detached by simply moving one of them endwise or by. moving both'bars in opposite directions. To form the compartments a series of short chains .01 are permanently connected to the outside chains, at suitable points, and extended inwardly and connected to rods 61', which latter are arranged in pairs and detachably connected in the same manner as the upper and lower pairs. A suitable lifting chain at is connected to the upper bars, whereby the bundle may be handled.

The method of placing the cane in the'compartments of the frame or carrier is prefer ably as follows:The locks connecting all the bars except the lower pair are loosened and the chains and bars spread upon one of the cars or carts D, the right-hand encircling chains and their divisional chainsand bars falling on one side of the car and the lefthand encircling chain and its connected parts falling on the other side of the car; the cane is then laid lengthwise along the center of the car, on the connected pair of bars, until enough has accumulated to fill the lower compartment, whereupon the bars of the second pair are brought over and connected together; the second compartment is filled in the same way, and so on until all the compartments are filled and locked. The car, laden with the bundle, is then moved alongside the cane-carrier and the bundle is lifted from the car and suspended over the carrier, (while its compartments are being successively discharged) by mechanism which will now be fully described.

Directly over the cane-carrier are two endless overhead tracks e, which are suspended from the ceiling or rafters of the building by suitable hangers e and are each arranged in an oval or elliptical shape. The inner or adj acent portions of these tracks are preferably arranged parallel and as nearly over the middle of the cane-carrier as is possible, and the outer portions are directly over the tracks on i which the cars run. Mounted on the endless tracks are wheeled-blocks or carriages f, from which dependsuitable strong hooks f adapted of the outside portions of the tracks isa long 1 shaft g, provided with a bevel gear g at one end, with which meshes a gear g" on a transverse shaft g this latter shaft being operated by suitable mechanism connecting it to the engine, whereby said shafts g are continuously rotated. At suitable points along shafts g are loosely mounted drums it, around which are wound ropes or chains h carrying books at their lower ends, the movement of eachof said drums being controlled by asuitable friction clutch 71. slidably mounted on the shaft alongside the drum and adapted to be operated in the usual manner from below by a hand-lever h. The form of clutch preferred is a cone-shaped one, adapted to enter a similar recess in the adjacent end of the drum, as shown in Fig. 8.

The operation of lifting the bundle out of the car and distributing the cane on the carrier is as follows:-The hook of one of the drum-chains is first pulled down and engaged in the lifting-ring of the bundle-frame, then by operating the adjacent friction clutch the drum will wind up its chain and lift the bundie from the car. As the bundle slowly rises, an attendant quickly engages the hook of one of the wheeled-carriages in the lifting-rim g of the bundle-carrier and disengages the hook of the drum-chain the bundle being now suspended from the carriage, it may be readily pushed around to a suitable point over the cane-carrier, as shown in Fig. 2. To facilitate the movement of the bundles from over the cars to a point over the carrier, the overhead tracks are inclined downwardly toward their inner portions, as shown in Fig. 1; by this arrangement the bundles will run by gravity around to the proper point over the carrier, which is advantageous on account of the great weight of the bundles. In discharging the cane on the carrier, the compartments are successively opened by simply striking sharplyon the end of one of each pair of rods; the lowestcompartment is first emptied, then the second, and so on until all the compartments are discharged. As the bars are detached the cane drops instantly upon the carrier and the loose chains swing down to opposite sides of the bundle, out of the way, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5. In this way thecane may be dropped on the conveyer and distributed properly and evenly along the same, with a minimum of labor.

By employing the double tracks and duplicating the drum arrangements and using a number of cars and bundle-frames, it will be seen that the process of charging the conveyer may be kept up continuously and uniformly.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is- 1. A cane-bundle carrier having a series of compartments adapted to be successively opened to drop the cane bundle in installments, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a cane-carriera bundle-carrier consisting of a series of compartments adapted to drop the cane in installments, and mechanism for suspending the bundle over the cane-carrier, substantially as described.

3. In combination with a cane-carrier, a

bundle-carrier consisting of a series of superimposed compartments adapted to be emptied successively upon the cane-carrier, substantially as described.

4:. A compartment bundle-carrier consisting of a series of encircling chains or bands detachably connected together and aseriesof detachable divisional chains or bands forming the compartments, substantially as described.

5. A compartment cane-bundle carrier consisting of encircling chains detachably connected together at their upper and lower ends, and a series of divisional chains connecting the encircling-chains at intervals, said divisional chains being formed in detachable sections, substantially as described.

6. A cane-bundle carrier consisting of two sets of encircling chains, each set having their upper and lower-ends connected to rods, means fordetachably connecting the adjacent rods, and a series of detachable divisional chains forming the compartments, substantially as described.

7. A cane-bundle carrier consisting of two sets of encircling chains, each set having their upper and lower ends connected to rods, means for detachably connecting the adjacent rods, substantially as described.

8. A cane-bundle carrier consisting of two sets of encircling chains, each set having their upper and lower ends connected to rods, means for detachably connecting the adjacent rods, and a series of detachable divisional chains forming the compartments, said divisional chains being formed in sections whose inner ends are connected to rods, and means 517,730 l g a Y for also detachably connecting these adjacent rods, substantially as described.

9. In a cane-bundle carrier, the combination of the encircling chains connected at their ends to horizontal rods and the divisional chains connected at their free endsto rods, means for detachably connecting each pair of rods, said means consisting essentially of headed lugs projecting from one rod and recessed pieces projecting from the adjacent rod, substantially as described.

10. The combination of a conveyer, an endless overhead track having a portion of its length arranged directly over said conveyor and another portion to one side the same, blocks traveling on said track and carrying a bundle-engaging hook, bundle carriers adapted tobe suspended from said. hook, an overhead shaft and means for continuously re- 20 volving it, loose drums at intervals on said shaft and friction clutches controlling the drums, and ropes depending from the drums,

overhead shafts on oppositesides of the conveyer, lifting drums on these shafts, and means for controlling the movements of the. lifting-drums, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

- OMA CARR.

Witnesses:

CHESTER J. LONG, H. G. GOULD. 

